Jonah Manzano
Jonah Manzano | |
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| Born | Jonah Cruz Manzano September 11, 1985 Pampanga, Philippines |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Citizenship | Australia |
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| Occupation | |
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Spouse(s) | Yzel Manzano |
| Children |
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| Parent(s) |
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| Website | jonahmanzano |
Jonah Cruz Manzano (born September 11, 1985) is an Australian-Filipino singer-songwriter, and musician best known for composing pop and gospel music. Some of his notable works include I Stall, Cry Out in My Heart, The One Who Owns Your Heart, Aking Mahal, Story of Our Life,[1] and Marry You Again.[2] Most of his songs are based on true stories of his relationships, disagreements, and successes in life.
At one point in his life, Jonah became a drug addict, and that took a toll on his life.[3] However, he soon recovered and, since then, has never looked back and focused on his music career. Jonah has over 20,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and 51.3K followers on Instagram.
Early life and education
Jonah Manzano was born in Pampanga, Philippines to Arturo Manzano who was battling with dementia (deceased June 16, 2022) and Lelita Manzano. He is the eldest of the family, followed by his two siblings, Grace Mae and Joshua. At the age of eight, Jonah started singing in a church choir and progressively began doing some solo parts. He started playing the piano using his tiny pencil case built-in with keys. At the age of twelve, Jonah started to learn the guitar with his father's help, who gifted it to him. He soon began learning more musical instruments, such as bass, guitar, drums, and flute.
Jonah attended Holy Angel University in 1998, followed by Pampanga High School in the subsequent year. He then migrated to Sydney, Australia in 2002 along with his parents and siblings. Thereafter, Jonah studied at De La Salle College, Ashfield, from where he graduated in 2004. Pursuing his education further, he attended TAFE NSW Blacktown and studied there for two years, finishing in 2006.
Career
Jonah Manzano worked for 13 years as an inbound tour operator, from May 2007 until March 2020, when he lost his job as a result of redundancy due to a pandemic in March 2020.[4] This was when he realized the artist within him and pursued his music career as an independent artist, composing songs in his home music studio.[5]
Jonah started his musical journey by writing the song "Cry Out In My Heart," his very first composition during his college days. He initially recorded the song using a software called Audacity, which didn’t turn out very professionally. Jonah even used a microphone gifted to him by his father to sing at home. He tried every possible thing and experimented to get a perfect shot.[6]
Jonah’s compositions are inspired by the pop band The Moffatts and the musical group Music Travel Love. He is more into pop, gospel, and the natural sound of acoustic guitar and piano. Jonah is also inspired by the Filipino culture, which is reflected in his song ‘In Christ Alone’.[7]
Most of the songs written by Jonah are based on his relationships, disagreements, and successes in life. One such song is Aking Mahal, which represents the journey of himself and his wife Yzel when they were in a long-distance relationship. Another song he wrote, Marry You Again, represents the connection of his marriage story.
Jonah and his wife also run a podcast called "Perfect but not perfect," which is based on the book "All About Us."
Discography
| S.No. | Title Track | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | In Christ Alone | 3:48 |
| 2 | Story of Our Life[8] | 3:00 |
| 3 | I Say, You Say[9] | 2:43 |
| 4 | Aking Mahal | 3:46 |
| 5 | Marry You Again | 3:13 |
| 6 | What Child Is This? | 3:35 |
| 7 | Christ is Enough | 4:38 |
| 8 | Collide | 4:16 |
| 9 | Blue Hour | 6:21 |
| 10 | She’s Always a Woman | 3:16 |
| 11 | Someone You Loved | 3:47 |
| 12 | The One Who Owns Your Heart | 4:00 |
| 13 | Cry Out in My Heart | 3:19 |
| 14 | I Stall - Single | 4:02 |
| 15 | Collide | 4:16 |
Personal life
Jonah Manzano is married to Yzel Manzano on November 10 2011. The couple is blessed with two children, Yezha Manzano and Jyeo Troy Manzano. Jonah is fluent in English and Tagalog.
In the media
References
- ↑ "Jonah Manzano talks 'Story of Our Life', his podcast, and advice for new musos". Happy Mag. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ↑ Kamel, Mustapha. "Jonah Manzano talks about heart captivating "Marry You Again" ahead of Valentine's Day". STLtoday.com. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ↑ "How a music artist overcame addiction after a drug overdose". SBS Your Language. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ↑ "Filipino-Australian musician Jonah Manzano launches his music career during isolation – Cultural Pulse". www.culturalpulse.com.au. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ↑ "From passion project to full-time hustle, Jonah Manzano emerges as an artist out of lockdown | The Philippine Times". philtimes.com.au. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ↑ "Multi-Talented Jonah Manzano Releases I Say, You Say". Thisis50. 8 June 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ↑ Staff, H. H. W. (1 June 2022). "Singer-Songwriter Jonah Manzano "I Say, You Say"". Hip Hop Weekly. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ↑ "Jonah Manzano's 'Story of Our Life' is a rare acoustic love ballad". Happy Mag. 22 November 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ↑ Doby, Jerry (5 June 2022). "Jonah Manzano "I Say, You Say"". The Hype Magazine. Retrieved 27 July 2022.